VIDEO FROM THE GAME BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/THE DILLON HERALD
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The Dillon Wildcats defeated Newberry on Friday night to win the state title. Here is a gallery of 175 photos by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald and Craig Brown:
PHOTOS BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/THE DILLON HERALD AND CRAIG BROWN
Click once on a photo to bring it into a single screen. Click again to enlarge.
VIDEO OF THE RETURN OF THE STATE CHAMPS BY BETSY FINKLEA/THE DILLON HERALD
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By Lonnie Turner
The Dillon Wildcats kept the winning streak alive Friday evening at Charlie Johnson Stadium at Benedict College, by out-classing still another high school football team, taking care of the Newberry Bulldogs, 51-19.
“It’s going to be a four-quarter football game this week,“ Coach Jackie Hayes said prior to the game. Well it was, but if it could have been allowed by the South Carolina High School League, the clock would have been recommended to run continuously as the upstart team from Dillon blew the game wide open with 28 points in the third quarter.
Again, as it has for the entire season, the Wildcats used an array of ways to score points with super quarterback Avery McCall leading the way and getting his fourth consecutive championship ring with a super effort. The 6’1, 200 pound senior put it all together rushing for 116 yards, throwing for another 125 and scoring on a 21-yard jaunt. He also threw two TD passes on the way. But it wasn’t all McCall, sophomore running back Zareon Hayes tallied twice and West Florence transfer Jamison Chapman put two scores on the board before an ankle injury sidelined him in the second quarter. The Wildcats even scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone by KaNore McKinnon at the end of a 23-yard pass play from Diaz Alexander to McCall. The kicking game was also big for the Wildcats on their way to their 37th straight win since the 2013 season. Drew Covington ended his junior year with nine points, scoring six PATs and with no time on the clock, he kicker a career long, 42-yard field goal to give the Cats a 23-7 score at halftime. Newberry took it on the chin after the Wildcats returned to the field in the second half and scored on every possession . Leading at the half, the Wildcats defense kept the Bulldogs at bay for most of the final 24 minutes of play. DeKendrick “Skeeter” Graves intercepted Shrine Bowler Yafari Werts on the second play of the third quarter and the rout was on. Hayes scored on the first two possessions less than a minute apart and McCall connected with McKinnon for a 47-yard pass play with three minutes left in the third. Then just nine seconds before the end of the fourth, McCall bulldozed his way into the end zone from 21 yards out to end the scoring.
“We just can’t say enough about our line play, offensively as well as defensively,” said Hayes, It was just a complete team win.”
The secondary picked off two of the passes thrown by Werts and returned them 24 yards and the people up front held the high powered Bulldog backfield to 222 yards, mostly coming between the 20 yard lines.
“We knew he (Werts) would get his yards,” Hayes continued, “bur we had to contain him and keep him out of the end zone. He’s a great athlete” The 6’, 188 pound senior accounted for 144 yards with very illusive running, but great defensive play kept him in check.
The Wildcats, not only ran their winning streak to 37 games, but put together back to back undefeated seasons, 14-0.
Clad in their all black uniforms, the Wildcats didn’t look quite as big as the Bulldogs, who sported their all white visiting uniforms, but it didn’t take long for that to be just an oversight as the Wildcats drove 80 yards in just six plays with Jamison Chapman taking a shovel pass from McCall for a 4-yard touchdown with a little over four minutes gone in the game. Behind the running of McCall and Chapman, Dillon went up 13-0 , as a result of a trick play. McCall passed to Diaz Alexander, who started to the right side of the field, only to throw back to McCall who ran the ball down to the four, where the ball popped out of his grasp and into the end zone. There KaNore McKinnon pounced on it for a touchdown. Drew Covington’s kick for the PAT sailed off to the left.
Before the Bulldogs could get on the scoreboard, the Cats went up 20-0 on a three-play 50 yard drive with Chapman doing all the damage running in behind the outstanding blocking of the offensive line. He carried for 19 and 31 yards to put the Cats in front by three scores and a thought by most people in the Benedict College press box that this was going to be another patented Wildcat blowout.
While picking up their initial first down in their final possession of the first quarter, with Werts running for 55 of a 68 yard drive, Amir Abrams ran the first of his two touchdowns with thirty seconds remaining in the quarter.
On the ensuing kick off, the Wildcats 23-yard kick off return by Hayes to the Newberry 40, set up a career long field goal by Covington. McCall connected with Alexander for nine yards and got the ball to the Bulldog 25 with a few ticks left on the clock, Holder Austin Moody set the ball down at the 32-yard line and Covington’s kick was long and true with some room to spare for the 23-7 halftime lead.
After the Cats took the opening drive following Graves’ interception and scored in ten plays, Covington kicked to the Newberry 20 where Dray Thompson met the return man head on and caused a fumble at the 21. After McCall ran to the five yard line for a first down Hayes was in the end zone for his first of two back to back TDs.
The Wildcats rushed for a total of 297 yards on 40 carries with McCall and Chapman leading the way with 116 and 107 respectively and got over 60 combined yards from Alexander and Hayes. McCall and Alexander combined to pass for another 148 yards to give the Wildcats 445 yards in total offense.
The Bulldogs finished the evening with 222 yards on the ground and 106 through the air for a net total of 328 yards, but had only 19 points to show for it.
What a finish to another great season for the Wildcats and the seniors who will graduate in the spring.
“I’m happy for the them,” said a jubilant Coach Hayes. “They worked extremely hard to get to this point and they really deserve it. They’re a great bunch of kids!”
